Introduction
If you own a small business enterprise or planning to start one, it is imperative that you start considering the services of a professional business attorney, who will stand by your side when you make critical legal decisions. Keep in mind that even the smallest legal mistake can significantly damage your business or even run it to the ground.
Experienced business attorneys, such as the ones found at www.rhoduslaw.com, can and will prevent this from happening. Even though it will cost you to hire their services, the money you will spend will be much lower than the costs of dealing with major legal penalties, fines and so on. To protect yourself from making a big mistake, you should establish relationships with some business attorney types, such a business transactional attorney (business deals and contracts), an IP attorney (trademarks, copyrights, patents), and an employment law attorney.
When working with business attorneys, knowing the following things will allow you to establish a much better relationship and enhance the quality of their services.
The importance of contracts
If you regularly work with suppliers, clients, or vendors, a business attorney will protect your interests by creating well-designed contract. Always remember that it is always better to be safe than sorry. When it comes to doing business, it is the smallest details that can make or break a deal.
The importance of specialization
Make sure to hire a business attorney who specializes in an area that you need. A general attorney can provide help only to a limited extent before they have to refer you to a specialized attorney. For example, if you need someone to draft contracts for you, the last thing you will want is to end up with a family law attorney.
Pay rates and extra resources
If you hire an attorney, who is not a part of a big law firm, you will probably pay a lower hourly rate. However, while that sounds great, keep in mind that such an attorney will most likely lack the access to additional resources that a law firm has. Some of these resources include additional support staff, other attorneys and so on.
Rely on references
When looking for business attorneys, make sure to rely on references. For that matter, try asking other business entrepreneurs, who have experience with certain attorneys, and check out online reviews and specialized websites, such as Linkedin.
Trust
Remember that you will need an attorney who strongly believes in your business enterprise and you. They should trust in your business acumen and vision and support you as you expand. You should make sure they work with you and advocate for you. If they say that you can’t do a certain thing, you should brainstorm together, to come up with a solution for that issue.
Working hours
When working with a business attorney, you need to be clear in regards to their working hours and costs. The majority of attorneys work on an hourly base. If you ask them to perform a certain task, you need to know upfront what will the costs be. As a business owner, the last thing you need is a nasty financial surprise. To get the most out of their services, you must perfectly understand how they bill for when performing a task.